Jitensha movie

“Jitensha” (Japanese for “Bicycle”) tells the story of Mamoru Amagaya (Yugo Saso), a young man struggling to find meaning in life. He’s a social outcast with no friends. A series of humiliating encounters on and off the job results in Mamoru leaving his job.

Mamoru’s spirit is broken. All he has left in his life is his bicycle. And then somebody starts taking pieces of his bike, one by one.

In frustration, Mamoru leaves a note for the thief, begging him to just take the whole thing. The note left in response is signed “God”, leaving Mamoru only more confused.

At last, when the only remaining piece of the bicycle is a lonely bell, Mamoru receives an envelope, containing addresses at which each piece of the bicycle might be retrieved. Puzzled yet intrigued, Mamoru embarks on a journey to resurrect and reassemble his beloved possession. As he seeks out each piece of the missing whole, Mamoru begins to discover that he himself is in a healing process. As he puts his bike together piece by piece, he realizes that he himself is in the process of being reassembled in the same way, by one far greater than himself.

Jitensha was produced by students of Biola University’s Cinema & Media Arts program. Professor Dean Yamada and his students traveled to Japan to film on location in Tokyo. Since Jitensha was released, it’s won numerous awards from a number of film festivals.